After a successful rookie campaign with the Chicago Sky, Angel Reese had to miss the last few games of the 2024 WNBA season and underwent wrist surgery. She was ready to play again by the time Unrivaled kicked off and has been great for most of the season, displaying some obvious improvements and thriving next to Chelsea Gray.
Unrivaled just played its last set of regular season games before the playoffs. The Lunar Owls, Vinyl, Laces, and Reese’s Rose Basketball Club all qualified for the postseason, while the Phantom and Mist are done.
Reese’s team capped off the season with another win, beating the Vinyl 74-46, but Reese did not finish the game. She exited after hurting her wrist in the third quarter of the game.
Sky fans should be concerned about Reese’s injury status
So far, there has been no update on Reese’s injury status yet, but Chicago Sky fans should certainly be worried. While Reese exiting the game might have, at least partially, been because the Rose already secured a playoff spot and simply wanted to protect her from injuring her wrist further, it is worrisome that she hurt the same wrist she had surgery on.
The 2025 WNBA season is just about two months away. If Reese has to miss some time or is not entirely healthy while on the court, it could have serious repercussions for the Sky. Chicago did its best to accelerate the rebuild around Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso, signing several veterans in free agency and trading their lottery pick for Ariel Atkins.
The idea is likely to become a better team this season, make the playoffs, and then attract some of the top free agents in the 2026 offseason to build a true contender around Reese. A lot of that plan relies on Reese’s continued improvement.
We saw this offseason how players flocked to a team featuring Caitlin Clark and Aliyah Boston. Veterans want to play with great young talent and Reese may be the Sky’s best asset when it comes to attracting big-time free agents. If she has to miss some time because of her wrist again, it will undoubtedly slow down her development and jeopardize the Sky’s plans for the immediate future.
The Sky took a risk when they traded their lottery pick for a veteran with one season left on her contract. Essentially, they traded the chance to draft a young talent for a chance to fast-track their rebuild. That is not the kind of move a franchise wants to backfire.
While Sky fans should certainly be worried about Reese’s wrist, it is not time to panic quite yet. Good news may still be on the way.